Plungers are well known in the art for unclogging drains such as those associated with a toilet. However, while toilet and drain designs have improved over the years, the same cannot be said of the technology associated with the plunger. Traditional shaped plungers, with a generally circular bell opening, are not particularly effective on most modern day toilets because of their trough-like drains. More specifically, traditionally shaped plunger bells are ineffective because they are typically incapable of achieving the necessary seal around the drain opening or trough due to their shape. An improper seal between the plunger bell and the toilet drain may result in the inverting of the traditionally shaped plunger bell and/or waste contaminated water being splashed out of the toilet bowl and onto the user when the plunger bell is compressed, both of which are highly undesirable and can be frustrating for the user.
Moreover, a user that is unable to unclog a drain with a plunger may have to resort to calling a plumber, which can be expensive, or the use of more expensive and complicated plumbing tools such as drain snakes, roto-rooters and other drain cleaning devices. Further, the repeated use of these types of devices can be both costly and may cause damage to the toilet and/or the drain, which could lead to even more costly repairs and/or the need to replace the toilet, the drain and/or the associated plumbing.
Consequently, there exists in the art a long-felt need for an improved plunger device for unclogging drains, particularly those associated with modern day toilets and trough-like drains. Additionally, there is a long-felt need for an improved plunger device that enables the user to create the appropriate seal between the plunger bell and the drain to maximize or increase the effectiveness of the plunger device, and to reduce the likelihood of splash-back or that the user will have to resort to more expensive and time consuming repairs. Finally, there is a long-felt need for an improved plunger device that accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and that is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture and use.